Eye Problems

limey · #1 09/22/10, 05:21 PM

Didn't want to hijack Crash Test Ranch's thread about a black eye, but wanted to give a word of warning about not to ignore what seems to be insignificant eye problems.

A couple of weeks ago, in the middle of the day, I suddenly became aware of lots of floaters in my left eye. I occasionaly get them, but these were thick, dark, logs in my eye. They didn't go away after a couple of days so I made an appointment with my optometrist. He took one look in my eye and said "Hmm - you have a tear in your retina. You need to see an opthalmologist right away". Went to the opthalmologist two days later and he told me I then had a hole in my retina and he would have to laser it closed. He did it right in the office and, except for when he hit a nerve in my eye, it didn't hurt. I go back next week to make sure it is still "welded" closed.

I nearly didn't go to the optometrist to save money. I'm glad I didn't put it off because the opthalmologist said I would have lost the vision in my eye if I had waited much longer!. I had no pain or warning other than the floaters. So please have your eyes checked if something out of the ordinary is going on. Not worth losing your vision for the sake of $25 - $30.

Limey

Joshie · #2 09/22/10, 05:30 PM

Limey, My son got something in his eye a few weeks ago. It caused a little abrasion on the covering of the white of the eye. Your conjunctiva isn't just the pink stuff around the eye as it also covers the eye. He was legally blind in that eye for a while. His vision is coming back but still is not normal. The injury caused a bacterial and viral infection.

Eyesight is not something to mess with.

SunsetSonata · #3 09/22/10, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by limey

"Hmm - you have a tear in your retina. You need to see an opthalmologist right away". Went to the opthalmologist two days later

Oh, my. If you have an optic tear, seeing an opthalmologist right away usually means RIGHT AWAY! Not 2 days later.

We had someone who ignored our pleas to see an opthalmologist right away due to a detatching retina. Next day he was blind in that eye. Couldn't do anything about it any more.

The appearance of a sudden shower of floaters, and/or flashing lights obscuring your field of vision, and it's time to see an eye doctor that day. Or the ER if need be.

limey · #4 09/23/10, 11:52 AM

Sunset Sonata - Unfortunately I saw the Optometrist on Friday, so Monday was the soonest I could see the Opthalmologist. I was lucky it had only spread to a hole.

Limey

Jan Doling · #5 09/23/10, 12:06 PM

I had a few flashes of light on a Sunday afternoon, and spent all day Monday trying to swat "flies" that were actually new floaters.

On Tuesday morning I googled "Floaters" and it said if you've had any light flashes, get help immediately. Lucky for me, I skipped the eye doctor and called my eye specialist direct and he saw me right away. There was so much blood back there from a torn retina that he ended up doing another laser repair at the follow-up appointment, too.

Retinas tend to detach as we age, especially in near sighted folks.

Lada · #6 09/23/10, 12:33 PM

I have a friend whose mom had a couple of floaters. She just thought it was age and didn't think anything about it. At her routine eye exam a while later, they found that she had MELANOMA in her eye! She had to have her entire eye removed, but she is actually very lucky...it had not spread to any other areas. So yes, don't mess around with your eyesight!

Emmy D · #7 09/23/10, 04:40 PM

My Mother was having a lot of floaters she ignored it, while driving home from work she has a bunch of bright sparks and flashes, then she had a big bright flash so she turned around and went to the ER. They sent her to her optho specialist the next day, her entire retina had detached and she was lucky she didn't wreck when it happened. She had it repaired the next day, but spent 7 days laying flat on her stomach with her eyes shut as much as possible (optho orders) at my Grandparents house being waited on hand and foot and bored out of her mind!!

She was lucky she didn't lose the sight completely in that eye!! Floaters and flashes are not something to be taken lightly!!!!

Emmy

Ardie/WI · #8 09/23/10, 04:59 PM

About three weeks ago, I thought my glasses were dirty. Nope! So, I thought I might have a floater. I felt as if I was looking through a foggy window.

Went to the eye doctor! Sure enough! I have cataracts. A slow grower and a fast grower on the right eye and a slow grower on the left!

They will be taken care of next month.